Who said the eldest daughter is crazy? She's clearly a woman of high rank and influence in the

Helian Jing walked back to his desk. He looked down at her, the gentle and harmless look in his eyes gone, revealing the bright light beneath.

"From now on, the Imperial Preceptor will probably be inseparable from me. I'll be there to fend off guests for you, remember your prescriptions, and keep track of the dates and numbers you can't even remember yourself."

He leaned forward, placing his hands on the edge of the desk, and looked down at her slightly. "I'm always by your side, helping you record things. Doesn't the Grand Preceptor find that troublesome?"

"Then Your Highness must always remember this."

After saying that, Xi Yueli paused for a moment. When she said "always," the last syllable of her voice had a naturalness that she herself hadn't expected.

Helian Jing's eyes lit up slightly after she said those two words. "Good, I will always remember."

"Your Highness," she began, her voice regaining its usual clear and crisp tone.

"Tuoba Lie sent someone to inquire about my illness today, which shows that he is anxious. He is anxious to find out exactly how ill I am and whether I still have the energy to keep an eye on his movements."

She was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled and said, "Your Highness, I will fully demonstrate my fondness for men to the Regent."

Helian Jing looked at her sudden smile and asked, "What does the Imperial Advisor mean—?"

"Then I'll let him see. I really don't have much energy left. I've spent all my energy on Doctor Lian, and I almost forgot about the important matters during the morning court session."

She stood up, walked around the desk to Helian Jing, and looked up at him.

"Starting tomorrow, Doctor Lian will accompany me to the Hall of Diligent Governance, sit behind me, and grind ink and serve tea for me. Tuoba Lie wants to see this, doesn't he? I'll let him see as much as he wants. He wants to see the Grand Preceptor indulging in male beauty and neglecting state affairs, so we'll put on a show for him."

Helian Jing looked down at her, a faint smile appearing in his eyes. "If the Grand Preceptor wants to put on a show of being utterly incompetent in front of the entire court, I will cooperate with you."

Xi Yueli took a half step back, glanced at him, and said, "Your Highness, when you enter the palace tomorrow, wear that moon-white robe. It will make you look more delicate, like a physician raised in the deep palace by the Imperial Preceptor."

Helian Jing raised an eyebrow at her command. "The Imperial Advisor is even controlling what I wear now?"

Xi Yueli had already walked back behind the desk and sat down, lowering her head to open a new volume of official documents. "Since Your Highness is going to be my male concubine, you should naturally listen to me about what you wear. A moon-white long robe with a mask on makes you look like a gentle and naive doctor who is not familiar with the ways of the world."

Helian Jing stood opposite her at the desk, watching her lower her head and pretend to flip through official documents. He finally couldn't suppress the smile on his lips and leaned close to her ear.

"Alright, whatever the Imperial Advisor says I must wear, I will wear. If he wants me to serve him in bed without wearing anything, I will..."

The next morning at court, the same light and shadow were reflected on the west window paper of the Hall of Diligent Governance again, but this time the light and shadow landed three steps behind the seat of the Grand Preceptor.

Helian Jing sat there, wearing a silver-gray half-mask, a moon-white long robe, a bronze inkstone on his lap, and slowly grinding ink in his hands.

When Tuoba Lie's gaze swept towards the Imperial Preceptor, he slightly turned his body to block her view, then lowered his head to continue grinding ink, his posture gentle and submissive.

The gazes of all the civil and military officials lingered between the Grand Preceptor's seat and the figure in the moon-white robe. Several civil officials began to exchange glances, while a third-rank military officer turned his head and whispered something to the person next to him.

Tuoba Lie stood at the head of the line, his gaze sweeping back and forth between Xi Yueli and Helian Jing twice before he looked away, the corners of his mouth curving into a deeper smile.

When the court session ended, Xi Yueli stepped down from the seat of the Imperial Preceptor, and Helian Jing followed half a step behind her. The hem of his moon-white robe gently brushed against the edge of her black robe in the wind.

The way the two of them stood, one in front of the other, made them look like a royal advisor bewitched by beauty and a submissive and respectful doctor.

The one walking in front turned his head, his lips moved slightly, and he said in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "Your Highness, you grind the ink very well."

Helian Jing lowered his head, and his voice came from behind her, carrying a very faint smile: "The Imperial Preceptor has taught well."

Over the next seven days, a rumor circulated in the teahouses and taverns of the Northern Shuo Royal Court—

The newly appointed Imperial Preceptor, Yue Li, kept a traveling physician from the south in the rear palace. He took the physician with him to every court assembly, grinding ink and serving tea, never leaving his side.

The doctor wore a half-silver-gray mask, was thin, and had a frail demeanor, but the way the Imperial Preceptor looked at him was noticed by all the officials in the court.

In the small garden behind the imperial kitchen, the Imperial Preceptor sat on a stone bench, straightening the sleeves of Doctor Lian, which had been ruffled by the wind.

Under the corridor on the west side of the Imperial Medical Academy, she lowered her head and tested the temperature of the freshly brewed medicine with his hand.

Outside the main gate of the Imperial Preceptor's bedroom, she personally adjusted the collar of his outer cloak, her fingertips slowly sliding along the curve of the collar to his shoulder, and then gently patted it.

Every interaction was perfectly timed to be visible, yet it also made the onlookers waver between "just doctor and patient" and "clearly having ulterior motives."

The secret reports sent back daily by Tuoba Lie's spymen grew thicker and thicker, and the descriptions gradually changed from "the Grand Preceptor and the Doctor were intimate in their speech" to "the Grand Preceptor and the Doctor had frequent physical contact and intimate postures, far exceeding the friendship between doctor and patient."

On the morning of the fourth day, three new impeachment petitions were placed on the king's desk.

The wording of the memorials was harsh, with one even using phrases like "indulging in personal feelings, neglecting official duties, and being immoral."

After reading the folded document, the king placed it on the table, his gaze sweeping over the assembled court officials and landing on the direction of the Grand Preceptor's seat, his voice carrying a hint of unease.

"Imperial Preceptor, three more memorials have been submitted today impeaching you and Doctor Lian. I want to hear you say it yourself—to what extent has your relationship with Doctor Lian deteriorated?"

Xi Yueli stood up, bowed in the direction of the throne, and as she straightened up, her gaze was clear and frank: "Your Majesty, I do not deny that I have an affair with Doctor Lian."

A low gasp rippled through the hall. The three civil officials who had handed over the memorial exchanged glances, their smugness practically overflowing.

Tuoba Lie stood at the head of the line, a perfectly curved smile playing on his lips, like a hunter watching his prey finally step into the last inch of the trap.

"But I have a request. Doctor Lian is my physician. Without him, no one can cure my chronic illness. Please allow me to keep him by my side. I will not neglect state affairs, and I will restrain myself from personal matters so as not to put Your Majesty in a difficult position."

The Queen leaned back in her chair, remained silent for a moment, then raised her hand and waved it: "Since the Grand Preceptor has shown some restraint, I will not interfere further. Court is adjourned."

After the court session ended, as Xi Yueli stepped down from her seat as the Grand Preceptor, she passed by Tuoba Lie and slightly curved the corners of her mouth. The curve was very faint, but Tuoba Lie noticed it.

When she returned to her bedchamber, Helian Jing was grinding ink at his desk. Seeing her push open the door, he raised his eyes and asked, "Is court adjourned?"

Xi Yueli walked over, took off her outer robe and draped it over the back of the chair, then glanced at him sideways: "Doctor Lian, today I publicly admit that we have a secret affair."

Helian Jing's fingers paused as he ground the ink. He put down the ink stick, walked around the desk to her, and looked down at her: "The Imperial Preceptor admitted it in public?"

"I admit it." She looked up to meet his gaze.